Rail Photoprints

Thankyou for visiting the ‘Rail Photoprints’ photographic archive. As the name implies our primary interest is rail transport but you may be surprised at some of the other subjects that will appear in our category sections.

Our photography started in 1962 but images dating back to 1912 are in our files. We hold copyright or act as agents for the owner for everything we sell.

Images are scanned to a file size that gives an image size of A4 (roughly 12 x 8) at 300DPI suitable for both Photo and Traditional print production.

All photographs reproduced from our Digital Files are produced using Modern Digital 'wet' production processes on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper. We do not supply inkjet prints. We use a professional photographic Lab for production and then check the received product before it is despatched to our customers. Occasionally we arrange for the lab to despatch direct to customer, but, rest assured that if you feel that the quality is not good enough then reprinting will be undertaken without question although we will ask for the return of the original print so that we can investigate the imperfection with our supplier.

ENTHUSIASTS wishing to add to their collections can purchase online using our Paypal Credit Card facility or by traditional means by emailing us and requesting our Print Order form, filling in the required detail and forwarding the form accompanied by remittance to the address that is listed. If you can’t find what you want in our product list then contact us so that we can source your requirements. Cheques made payable to 'John Chalcraft' please! If ordering 'off line' please provide us with the loco Number, Location and file reference (ie.JC537) which appears at the end of the file title.

We aim to complete orders for photographs in 15 working days from the receipt of order.

EDITORS and PUBLISHERS can purchase digital copies of all images for publication either in the press, on websites or for other commercial purposes. If you wish to purchase for such usage please contact us providing the information requested so that we can confirm a price, image delivery can be either via the Web or on CD to your chosen address. When contacting us please provide us with the loco Number, Location and file reference (ie.JC537) which appears at the end of the file title.

We endeavour to provide Publishers with a 24 hour turnround from the time of contact.

As already stated we hold copyright or act as agents for the copyright holders for all photographs on the site and will take legal action against any person or business that uses our material without the appropriate copyright permission.

As railway photographers whose work is regularly used by the media we are 'quality conscious', if the product is not acceptable to us then the product will be rejected (certain 'imperfect' historically important images are exempted from this rejection because of their rarity value).

Why not browse our files or if you have specific requirements try our KEYWORD SEARCH facility, insert a single word (eg. Swindon), number (eg. 72005), in the search box. More specific searches can be undertaken using ADVANCED SEARCHby inputting phrases or combinations of Letters, numbers etc.

Our images normally appear in alphabetical or numerical order within gallery.

‘Rail Photoprints’- hopefully the name conveys our primary interest. We have been involved in Railway Photography and Publishing for more than 50 years,

Like many of our colleagues our initial interest was in train spotting, many pleasant hours being spent in the company of like minded people on the Platform ends at Bristol Temple Meads or on the ‘tump’ outside Bath Green Park sheds.

Our introduction to photography was with the humble Brownie 127, followed by the Halina 35x whose 200th second maximum speed was barely enough to stop the movement of even the humble pick up freight but occasionally reasonable results were achieved.

We witnessed the premature end of steam and then like many lost interest in the British mainline scene spending time on the British Industrials or on the near continent where steam was still in operation and could be readily accessed. In the early ‘70’s photographic equipment was upgraded with a Practica Super TL which offered 500th second almost enough to stop some of the passenger trains in the pre HST diesel era. The end of service for the ‘Westerns’ saw a return to the UK scene accompanied by an increase in photographic activity with the setting up of our own developing and printing facility the name ‘Rail Photoprints’ was born out of the need for a trading name which could be used for selling our b/w photographs.

Working in the printing trade it was a natural progression which led to our first commercial item being produced, and in 1979 the ‘Modern Traction Calendar’ was born, an all black and white affair which was bound using the kitchen table (to help keep costs down), it sold at the price of £1.00 and was sufficiently well received that the 1980 calendar had 4colour pages. By 1982 the demand was sufficient to enable full colour production and the calendar has been a regular for the last 33 years. 1992 saw the production of the first ‘'Steam Traction Calendar' and in 1999 a bus calendar joined the fold. In addition to calendar productions some cheap photographic albums on the ‘Deltics’, 50’s and 40’s were produced as well as two Hard cover titles for a national publisher.

In the late ‘70’s Mamiya 645 cameras were purchased, in the hope that they would improve photographic quality, this action proved worthwhile but in the late 80’s the advent of newer film technology in the form of Ilford XP1 led to changing back to 35mm format. 2002 saw us investigating the digital market and from 2005 we used the digital format for all work, chosen cameras being initially the Canon 20D and now the Canon 40D.

Growing standardisation and increasing restrictions on our hobby in the UK has led to our seeking pastures new for railway photography, South Africa, China, USA, Canada and many European countries have been visited and will eventually be featured here.

We are now in the process of scanning our extensive negative and transparency collection, this is a labour of love with many hours being taken, but a great deal of satisfaction as we produce results of a standard that we rarely achieved in the photographic dark room. This website is result of our toil, it will hopefully be seen as a showcase for both our work and the work of others. All of the files illustrated are available for purchase as photographs or digital files for publication.

We constantly seek new material either to purchase or to work with the photographer on a 'Royalty' basis paying a set fee for sales of any prints produced from that photographers work, in such instances the photographer retains ownership and copyright.

Our aim at the present time is to get as much material as possible onto the web for the enjoyment of others, we have seen too much priceless material binned due to wives and relations not appreciating the true historic value of the film image, please help us to change the illusion that our hobby is a waste of time and money.

Being fellow railway enthusiasts it has always been our aim to produce quality products at the sort of prices that we would be willing to pay, hopefully our prices will be seen as fair for the production of a quality product.

Re- the various pictures of DP2The loco entered regular service with BR on 14/5/62 based at Camden and working a diagram comprising the 07.45 Euston- Liverpool, 14.05 Liverpool - Euston "Manxman" (1A40) [RAW 998 and RPC 146], 19.15 Euston - Inverness (1S07) [DC 286/285] as far as Crewe - not Carlisle as previously suggested - and, it is believed, the up West Coast Postal back to London.In 9/62, at the start of the winter timetable, it switched to working the 13.25 Euston - Blackpool and Perth (1S81) as far as Carlisle [RAW 046], returning on the 21.00 ex-Perth. This continued until May 1963, when, for its final six weeks or so on the LMR, DP2 worked an out-and-home roster to Blackpool, consisting of the 17.05 down (1P75) on Mon. to Thurs. and 17.15 on Fridays (1P79) followed by the 08.00 up (1A13). See RAW 929-1; RPC 366 and 367 must also date from this period - probably on a Saturday because of the 1P79 on the rear of the loco.From July 1963, the loco worked on the ER, until its demise in July 1967. The 1A18 working shown in RPC 025 will probably be the Saturday 10.10 KX - Edinburgh while RPC 658-1 probably shows the loco backing out of KX after working 1B21, the up Sheffield Pullman, 15.20 ex-Sheffield Victoria, which was part of its regular roster at the time.

Leonard Rogers(non-registered)

NP 364 : I doubt this will be 19/4/70, since this was definitely the date of the Crewe open day as shown on the following slide, CW 008.It has to be some time during the period between 9/3/70 and the last week of May that year, though. This was the short period when Kestrel was working the 19.35 Hull - Stratford freightliner and the 02.30 return working (4H66) every weekday. She stabled at Dairycoates, as shown, during the day then returned to her maintenance base of Tinsley at weekends, Dairycoates having lost its maintenance facilities by then.

Leonard Rogers(non-registered)

DC286 : This is the down Royal Highlander, 19.15 Euston - Inverness, part of DP2's regular diagram (as far as Carlisle) at this time. The sun is in all the wrong direction for a morning departure from Euston.

Leonard Rogers(non-registered)

I'd add my agreement to Peter Kerslake's comment.RAW 119 : 1B20 was the up Master Cutler, 07.25 Sheffield Victoria - Kings Cross. Together with the down and up Sheffield Pullmans and the down Master Cutler this was a regular diagram for Falcon at this time.